Ritz Chicken

Okay, I haven't posted in ages, but here's a good quick, easy recipe for you all.  I got it from a cookbook I got as a bridal shower gift.  It's pretty much just a collection of the Huffman family's favorite recipes.  (Note, I do not know who they are, but somehow one of my mother's recipes ended up in there.)

There are no exact measurements to this, so it's a little bit of trial and error.

Ingredients

Chicken breasts (as many as you need for however many people you have)

Ritz crackers* (1.5-2 sleeves should do it for three to four chicken breasts)

Grated parmesean cheese (in the bag or fresh, not in the can)

Garlic powder

Seasoning salt

Pepper

Butter

Cut your chicken breasts up into strips or nuggets, whatever you want.  You could probably even leave them whole.  Crush up the crackers and add the remaining ingredients (except butter).  I use a  big ziploc bag with the zipper closure, makes things so much easier.  Melt some butter in a dish.  Dunk the chicken in the butter, toss the pieces in the bag, close it up and shake to coat.  Put chicken on a cookie sheet.  Preheat your oven to 350.  Bake chicken for about 30-40 minutes.

*I use the low sodium Ritz.  You add quite a bit of salt with the seasonings.

Chicken Enchiladas

I got this recipe from my college roommie Eva. Whenever I make it for my family I always think of her and the delicious things she made us whilst in college. When I got married this was one of the recipes I tentatively tried out on my husband, hoping with crossed fingers and bated breath that he would like it, and he did! When we were first married we made it all the time. He would hold the tortillas while I spooned the filling in and then he'd roll them up and put them in the pan. So, I always think about that, too, when I make these.

You Will Need:
3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 can cream of chicken soup
Milk (enough to fill soup can 1 time)
1 small can green chilis
Tortillas
A whole heap of grated cheddar cheese.

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix chicken, soup, milk, chilis and half the cheese. Spoon mixture into tortillas, roll them up and stick them in a 9x13 pan. Pour remaining mixture over the enchiladas and cover with the rest of the cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Makes up to 10 enchiladas.

*This can also be adjusted so that you can make more or less. When I make it for us I only make about 5 and put them in a 9x9 pan. Be sure to spray the pan so they don't stick!

Potato Corn Chowder

Combine in large saucepan or medium size pot:
1/4 C butter
2 1/4 C water
2/3 C chopped celery (optional)
3 chopped green onions (optional)
4 C diced potatoes (about 4 to 5 medium potatoes) Leave the skins on if you want.

Bring to a boil and simmer about 20 minutes. Don't let the potatoes get mushy. While potatoes are simmering, make a white sauce.

6 T butter, melted in the pot that you are using to make the white sauce
Gradually stir in 6 T flour
Add:
2 1/2 C milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Simmer until slightly thickened.

Add white sauce directly to cooked potatoes. Don't drain potatoes.

Add: 2 C grated cheddar cheese and 2 cans, drained, corn.
Heat through. May also add bacon pieces as garnish. A thick soup that serves well in a bread bowl. Serves about 6 people

Cook's note: Use real butter in this recipe, not margerine. Margerine will not thicken up the white sauce. Use whole or at least 2% milk.

Marinated Flank Steak

This has been a family favorite for a long time. It's an easy company dish that's good any time. The recipe is from a friend who is a believer in "easy is better"

Tenderize 1 to 1 1/2 lb flank steak by generously sprinkling with meat tenderizer on both sides, forking it into meat. I also use a meat tenderizing mallet to flatten out the steak so that it cooks more evenly.

Marinade:

5 T soy sauce
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 C water
1/2 C brown sugar
1 T lemon juice.

Reserve some of the marinade for use when serving.

Put steak and marinade in a covered container - large zip locks works well. Refrigerate at least 6 hours, turning steak (or baggie) over a couple of times. Can be marinated overnight.

On preheated hot grill, BBQ or grill pan (indoors), cook steak approximately 10 minutes per side for rare. Add additional time, if you prefer medium. Don't overcook. Let stand for a few minutes before slicing. Slice thinly on the diagonal with the grain. Arrange on platter and pour reserved marinade over the top. Serves about 4 to 6 people.

Cook's note: Recently, I changed up the marinade by substituting part of the soy sauce with a bottled marinade like "Yoshida's" teriyaki marinade. Don't use too much of the bottled stuff because the extra sugar will crust up on the meat while cooking and sometimes cause burning of the meat. In a pinch recently, I used the juice of an orange when I didn't have a lemon on hand. We actually like it better.